Matthew McConaughey’s Nominee for Sexiest Man Alive Is…

“This is the perfect answer for the next Sexiest Man Alive,” McConaughey, 47, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue of his The Dark Tower costar.

While the duo play enemies onscreen in the new sci-fi film, Elba, 44, is duly flattered.”[That’s] such a compliment coming from this man!” he responds.

And even if the British actor were to take the title this year (look for the annual issue in November!), McConaughey still considers Sexiest Man Alive a permanent honor. “That’s the thing about this crown,” McConaughey says. “You get it until the day you leave this earth. And if you’re a believer, you take it into the next life.”

McConaughey plays the villainous Man in Black in the adaptation of Stephen King’s series of fantasy novels.

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“This version was reality based,” he explains. “I’m the Man in Black, but I’m not in spandex. There’s a very human element to it in a very fantastic world.”